diff --git a/modules/Makefile b/modules/Makefile
index a4f5c8abe..cd782fe80 100644
--- a/modules/Makefile
+++ b/modules/Makefile
@@ -44,12 +44,15 @@ DIRS += $(subst /Makefile,,$(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(SUBMODULES))))
 
 include $(TOP)/configure/RULES_DIRS
 
+INSTALL_LOCATION_ABS := $(abspath $(INSTALL_LOCATION))
+RELEASE_LOCAL := RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).local
+
 # Ensure that RELEASE.<host>.local exists before doing anything else
 all host $(DIRS) $(ARCHS) $(ACTIONS) $(dirActionTargets) $(dirArchTargets) \
-    $(dirActionArchTargets) $(actionArchTargets): \
-    | RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).local
+    $(dirActionArchTargets) $(actionArchTargets): | $(RELEASE_LOCAL)
 
-RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).local:
-	@echo EPICS_BASE = $(abspath $(INSTALL_LOCATION))> $@
+$(RELEASE_LOCAL):
+	$(ECHO) Creating $@, EPICS_BASE = $(INSTALL_LOCATION_ABS)
+	@echo EPICS_BASE = $(INSTALL_LOCATION_ABS)> $@
 realclean:
-	$(RM) RELEASE.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).local
+	$(RM) $(RELEASE_LOCAL)